Hold onto your shadow daddies, Romantasy fans! Quicksilver author, Callie Hart is appearing at a WORD Christchurch event this month and *this gal* has a ticket.
If none of the above sentence made sense to you then I'm going to assume you have not delved into the world of "Faerie smut" aka "Shadow daddies R US" aka "Just good not-very-clean fun with faeries".
"Faerie smut" is part of the hugely popular Romantasy genre and Quicksilver, the first book in Hart's "Fae & Alchemy" series, was massively popular when it came out in 2024 (second book, Brimstone, is due out on 18 November this year - get your holds on before the list gets even longer).
What's all the fuss about?
In a word... sex. But also world-building. Tension. Battles. Magic.
There's a lot to take in with regards to the setting, whether it's a grimey, somewhat dangerous tavern, or a grand, snowbound castle. Storywise, expect political machinations and courtly intrigue (think Game of Thrones but with a less bleak outlook), and the protagonist is going to be in mortal peril a reasonable amount of the time either through acts of villainy or her own questionable choices. There will be magical portals, supernatural creatures of various kinds, and let's not forget love, that most important of reading hooks!
Quicksilver follows the character Saeris Fane as she struggles to survive in the brutal city of Zilvaren on a desert world where water is rationed and life is cheap. Fate and a few missteps bring her to the attention of the city's Undying Queen and Saeris manages to unlock a portal to another world, one where the Fae are in charge and it turns out she, a mere human, might just have the magical ability they need to vanquish their enemies?
Okay, but what's a "shadow daddy"?
A character who shadow-wields, ie their magical powers manifest as literal, tangible darkness. Inevitably this character is also brawny and stupidly attractive but also maybe an arrogant arse? A bit Lord Byron-y, in a mad, bad, and dangerous to know kind of way. So basically, irresistible to the protagonist. Kingfisher from Quicksilver and Xaden Riorson from Fourth Wing are the two most well-known exponents of the "Shadow Daddy" character in romantasy fiction.
Why should I care about this?
You don't have to but Quicksilver continues to be wildly popular and with the next book out soon that's unlikely to change. It's not usual for Christchurch to get a visit from an author of a book this big so that makes this a rare treat. Also, if you are someone who likes book merch there will be exclusive book merch available in the form of pre-signed copies of Quicksilver in paperback that come with a tote bag AND a little sneak peak at Brimstone, the next book. So if you're a fan this is probably the place to be on Wednesday 15 October, 7pm to 8.30pm.
If you're not a fan, plenty of other things to do, I guess?
Further reading
- What is fairy smut and why is everyone obsessed with it? Claire Mabey at The Spinoff
- Of course the girls are reading horny fairy books. It’s cheaper than travel and more fun than therapy Emily Mulligan at The Guardian
- More romantasy
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